A: Wedding photography, in general, requires more work than most people realize. Sure, there are some photographers who charge $800 and will shoot for a few hours, drop off the negatives at the lab and hand you the proofs. However, most professional wedding photographers put in many hours of work before and especially after your wedding day. From initial consultations, visiting photography locations, and planning out formal shots, to 10 or more hours of shooting, and in my case 10 to 12 hours of editing each individual picture to perfection, preparing and ordering prints, designing and so on…the amount of time I end up working on one wedding can add up to 30 hours! To put things into perspective, the hourly rate ends up being less than that of a plumber or mechanic. Since I am running my own business, there are other considerations like advertising, tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment purchases, book and print costs and so on that have to be factored into the final price. You’re also paying for the level of experience and artistic talent that your particular photographer offers. Luckily, if you decide to hire a true wedding professional, your day will progress smoothly and you can be assured that you’ll get magnificent images of your wedding no matter what.

Last updated on June 18, 2009 by JD Howell